The difference, by ear
Both are growled or screamed, but black metal is much slower: 160 to 280 bpm against 250 to 400. Songs run longer in black metal: usually 4 to 9 minutes, against under a minute to 2 minutes in cybergrind. To hear the difference, play Agoraphobic Nosebleed next to Bathory. They share a root in heavy metal, and black metal came first, by seventeen years.
In figures
Cybergrind
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Grindcore › Cybergrind
In short
Grindcore with programmed drums nobody could play and electronic elements. Made in bedrooms more often than in studios.
How it sounds
- Drums programmed at physically impossible speeds, often past a nominal 1000 bpm.
- Electronic elements: noise, synthesizers, samples.
- Fully digital production, frequently made by one person alone.
Key acts
- Agoraphobic Nosebleed
- The Berzerker
- Genghis Tron
Start here
The pickGridlink - Longhena. Twenty-two minutes, and it counts as a long album here.
Full page →Black metal
Where it sits
In short
Tremolo picking, blast beats, shrieked vocals and deliberately cold production. More an aesthetic than a technique - atmosphere matters more than clean sound.
How it sounds
- Tremolo picking on open fifth voicings, with vocals in the high register.
- Deliberately thin, cold production - the missing bass is an aesthetic choice, not an accident.
- Fast blast beats, drums often mixed back, atmosphere placed above technique.
Key acts
- Bathory
- Mayhem
- Darkthrone
- Emperor
Start here
The pickDarkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky. The production is intentional, not a flaw.
Full page →